Mechanism for operating street-railway switches.



m. 7m,47o. Patented oet. 7, |902..

- w. H. KmKLEY.

MECHANISM FDR OPERATING STREET RAILWAY SWITCHES.

(Applicution led Jln. 18, 1902.)

(llovllodej.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

IVILLIAM I-I. KIRKLEY, OF CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND.

MECHANISNI FOR OPERATING STREET-'RAILWAY SWITOH ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,470, dated October '7, 1902.

Application filed January 18,1902. Serial No. 90,310. (No model.)

To all Ill/tom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM II. KIRKLEY, of Cranston, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and Improved Switching Mechanism for Street-Railways; and I do hereby declare that the followingspecification, taken in connection with the drawings making a part of theV same, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Figure I is an elevation of the rail and end of car, showing the switching mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top View of the switch and switching mechanism. Fig. 3 is a Vertical section of rail and end of car, showing the operating mechanismwhichisattachedtothe car. Fig. l is a cross-section on line a: cc, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing form of the vertically-operatin g bar for engaging the railswitching device.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective device for throwing the switch upon street-railways which can at all times be conveniently operated by the motorman without leaving his position upon the platform of the car; and it consists in the arrangement of devices for that purpose hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A is the car-rail.

B is the front end of a car with its platform C, and D is the ordinary split switch.

Pivoted to the under side of the switch D is a rod E, having its opposite end pivoted to a bell-crank lever F. The lever F is pivoted at the elbow to a support G, attached to the side of the rail, the outer arm being'pivoted to a horizontal rod H, occupying a position parallel with the rail.

Attached to the side of the rail and working upon suitable pivots are two pawls I and J, which operate in unison through the intermediate quadrants K L. The opposite end of the horizontal rod H is pivoted to the pawl K, and thus forms a connection between the pawls and the bell-crank lever F, which is in turn connected with the switch D through the rod F.. Y

Attached to the bottom of the car-platform and extending downward is a box M, having two open passages N N. These passages are occupied by vertical bars O O, which project beyond the box at the bottom and are held in an elevated position clear from the rails by spiral springs, which are also confined withinl the passages N N, as will be readily understood and as shown in Fig. l. Attached to these bars O O and projecting above the floor of the platform are two rods P P, having flat or headed ends, to which the foot of the lnotorman may be applied in operating Vthe device.

The upper ends ofthe pawls I and J are cut away upon opposite sides7 and the Vertical bars O O are so arranged with reference thereto that either pawl may be operated in the discretion of the motorman without making any contact with the other.

As the car approaches the switch if the latter is so placed that the car will proceed in the desired'direction the operation of the device is unnecessary and calls for no attention on the part of the motorman. If, however, the switch is not so placed, the niotorman presses with his foot upon one of the rods P P, which forces down one of the bars O O, overcoming the resistance of the upholding-spring, until l the end of the bar is sufficiently depressed to come in contact with one of the paWls I J. The motorman holds his foot upon the rod until thecontinued movement'of the car brings the end of the bar in contact with 'the pawl and moves the switch through the action of the connecting-rod H, the crank F, and the rod-E, as will be readily understood. Upon which of the rods P P 'the Inotorman shall place his footin approaching the switch depends upon the direction in which he desires to go, or, inV other words, the direction in which he desires to move the switch. One pawl is actedv upon to move the switch in one direction and the other pawl to move itin the other direction. g

In the drawing Fig. l the position of the switch is such as to make a straightv track. One of the bars O is, however, depressed, supposedly by the foot ofthe motorman, and it is evident that the continued movement of the car with the bar in the position shown will soon bring the latter in contact with the pawl which is in a perpendicular position, carrying it over and changing the switch. As one pawl is carried over the other one assumes a perpendicular position through the action of the quadrants K L. When the next IOC car approaches the switch, which is to go in a different direction, the motorman will press upon the other rod P, which will secure contact with the other or perpendicular pawl, when a similar result will be accomplished as before.

If it is desired to bring the push-rods P P more directly under the feet of the motorman, the bar O O may have levers Q Q connected therewith and secured at the other end to a bracket underneath the car, upon which levers the rods P P will operate, as shown in Fig. 3.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a switch provided with an operating-rod, and levers extending in different vertical planes and connected with said rod, of means carried by a car for operating said levers, comprisingverticallymovable rods arranged in the same vertical plane, having their opposite edges cut away for leaving the lower extremities of the rods in dierent planes, levers pivoted thereto, and means for operating said levers, substantially as described.

2. In a mechanism of the class described,

the combination with a switch and operating- 

